Semi-automatic fastening device dispenser



Nov. 10, 1964 w. LAsTlNG 3,156,376

SEMI-AUTOMATIC EASTENING DEVICE DISPENSER Filed Feb. 8, 196s lll/Il Il Il llI/l/l lll Ill/l lll/.m-Arl l 1 INVEN TOR.

United States Patent O 3,156,376 SEMI-AUTOMATIC FASTENRNG DEVICE EISPENSER W alter Lasting, 111 33 116th St., Richmond Hill 20, N.Y.

Filed Feb. S, 1963, Ser. No. 257,128 4 Claims. (El. 221-79) The present invention relates to a semi-automatic fastening device dispenser as embodied in a hand tool, and more especially to a dispenser of the character set forth particularly adapted to the dispensing of nails.

Briefly summarized, the invention comprises a hand tool wherein nails removably held in spaced parallel relation on a manually controlled movable element are intermittently fed to a discharge opening whence the foremost nail is automatically released and immediately drawn by magnetic force to and supported against a stop member. When in this position, and without being touched by hand, the nail is first stabilized with a few taps of a hammer, the dispenser held in one hand is then `withdrawn and the hammer held in the other hand is again utilized to set the nail.

One object of the invention is the provision of a supply source readily available when there is need for one or a number of the nails supplied by the dispenser and another object is the provision of nail dispensing and holding means whereby the necessity of leaching for and holding by the fingers each individual nail is eliminated.

Being able to successively position and drive home a plurality of nails without having to touch them by hand, is a valuable time saver, particularly to carpenters and other craftsmen whose work requires considerable nailing, and is an important feature of the invention.

Another object of the the invention to be appreciated, by the amateur and the trained artisan as well, is the prevention of injury to fingers when hammering a nail.

And, a still further object of the invention is the provision of a simple lightweight and inexpensive but practical implement for the purpose set forth.

The accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention are as follows:

FIG. l shows the dispenser in elevation as viewed from line 1 1, FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 2 2, FIG. l.

FlG. 3 is a transverse section on line 3 3, FIG. 1.

And, FIG. 4 is a sectional view on line 4 4, FIG. 2, a central position of the housing being broken away.

It is to be understood that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only, and that certain modification of construction and operation may be made that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following more detailed description and particularly defined in the appended claims. And, it is to be further understood that the term fastening device or fasteners in the title and as hereinafter used may apply not only to nails but to analogous fastening means such as bolts, screws, rivets, tacks and thin small headed iinishing nails known as brads; and, that the means employed for first stabilizing and then driving the fastener axially to set it will in any such instance be a tool suitable for the purpose and not necessarily a hammer.

In the drawings similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the dierent views.

The fastening devices, nails in this instance, and their dispensing means are housed within an elongated container which is held in one hand and, for convenience in holding, provided with a wrist strap 12 the ends of which by clips 11, or other suitable securing means, are attached to opposite sides of the container, fragmentary end portions only of the straps 12 being shown in FIGS. l and 3.,

ICC

The container or housing, indicated generally by numeral 7, is formed preferably of molded plastic and includes integrally formed opposite sidewalls S and 9, rounded end walls 13 and 14, a bottom 113 and a rectangular hollow partition 1S upstanding from the bottom 10, the sides of this partition 15 being parallel with but shorter than the outer sidewalls 8 and 9. The forward end wall 14 terminates short of the sidewall 8 to provide a nail discharge slot opening 16 and the sidewalls 8 and 9 are shown as cut away to provide sight openings 17' 1'7. A cover for the housing 7 includes an elongated endwise slidable portion 18 and a similarly formed but fixed and comparatively short forward portion 19.

The sidewalls 8 and 9 and those of the partition 15, respectively, provide a runway for a belt, to be described, which frictionally engages a pair of spools 2t) and 21 axially mounted to rotate in opposite ends of the housing 7. The forward spool 21 is the driver and has axial extensions 22 and 23 journalled in the bottom 1t) and fixed cover portion 19, respectively, of housing 7',

vthe part 23 being the stem of a finger engaged spool turning knob 24.

In order that the belt may be held sufficiently taut at all times an adjustable mounting is provided for the rear spool 2li. This mounting, 2t), which may be of any well known arrangement of parts for such purpose, is illustrated in FIG. 4 by axially extending pins Z5 and 2d from spool Ztl being journalled in bottom top bar or plate members 27 and 28, respectively. The member 27 is slidably supported in a recess 29 in the housing bottom 1@ and adjustable toward and from the spool 21 by a screw 30 as shown. The member Z8 is slidably supported upon the rear end of partition 15 for longitudinal movement and clamped in position of adjustment by a headed screw 31 and its underlying washer 31A.

The belt which may be of any material suitable for the purpose is indicated at 32. ln this instance the belt is shown as rubber to which is bonded an inner lining 33 of fabric for frictional engagement with the spools Ztl and 21. In the outer face of the belt 32 throughout its entire length are regularly spaced transverse slots 34 in which nails shown at 35 are yieldingly held. The belt thus becomes a magazine manually controlled for intermittent movement in advancing the nails successively to a discharge position which is at the slot opening 15. Removal of the cover portion 13 permits the magazine belt to be loaded by inserting the nails 35 point downward into the slots 34. The nails are prevented from falling out of their respective slots 34 by the sidewalls 8 and 9 as the belt travels along the runway and by an adjustable guard plate 36 extending between such sidewalls and encircling that portion of the belt engaging the spool Ztl.

Sidewall 8 of housing 7 is extended forward of the end wall 14, as seen at 37, and to the inner face of such extension a magnetized block 3g is removably secured by screws 39. This rear side face of block 3S is spaced from the end wall 14 and provided with a lip 4t? along its outer edge as shown in FlG. 2 to prevent a nail, attracted to the block and indicated at 35A, from falling away laterally from the wall extension 37.

Stripper plates 42, 42 span the space between the free edge of rounded end wall 14 and the belt 32 and are attached to such wall as seen in FlGS. l, 2 and 4. These plates 42., 42 function to disengage from the belt each nail 35 as it reaches the discharge opening 16 at which time the nail, attracted by magnet 38, slides across the inner face of side wall extension 37 and lodges against and is supported by the magnet in the position shown at 35A, FIGS. 1 and 2.

The hollow partition 1S provides a chamber which may be illed with a material, such as sponge rubber, illustrated at 43 and thus providing a pin cushion, so to speak, into wcich a reserve supply of nails shown at 35B may be stored.

In use the housingfi is held in one hand with two fingers free to manipulate turning of the knob 24 which in the manner and by the means already described, successively brings the nails 35 in the belt 32 to the discharge opening 15 where the automatic feature of the invention comes into action and moves the nails one after another to the position shown at 35A. With a hammer in his other hand the nailer first stabilizes the nail 35A by tapping it a few times after which the dispensing tool is removed so that the nail can be set by driving it in full length, all of this being accomplished rapidly without touching the nail by hand and thus climinating injury to fingers.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the invention provides a simple and practical hand tool that meets the several objectives as hereinabove set forth.

What I claim is:

1. In a nail dispenser, the combination with a housing comprising sidewalls one of which has a forward extension, end walls, a bottom and a cover, the said cover including a short xed portion and a relatively long removable portion and the forward one of said end walls ending in spaced relation to the sidewall, of which said eX- tension is a part, to provide a slot opening for individual edgewise passage of nails therethrough; of an endless belt, spools engaged by said belt and rotatably mounted in said housing adjacent said end walls, nails to be dispensed being carried by and transversly of said belt in spaced parallel relation, manually operable for rotating one of said spools to intermittently feed the belt mounted nails successively to said discharge opening, stripping means for disengaging the nails from said belt as they reach said opening and a stop block removably attached to the inner face of said wall extension in advance of said opening, said block comprising a permanent magnet functioning to successively draw nails as they are released from said belt through the discharge opening, across the face of said wall extension to and support them against the stop block in position for nailing.

2. A nail dispenser according to claim 1 characterized by said belt being of rubber having an inner surface for frictional engagement with said rollers and regularly spaced transverse slots in its outer face in which nails carried by the belt are yieldingly held.

3. A nail dispenser according to claim 2 characterized by the forward one of said spools being journalled in said housing bottom and said fixed cover portion, and by the other of said spools being journalled in adjustable members substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A nail dispenser according to claim 2 characterized by said housing including a hollow partition upstanding from said bottom and providing a chamber having a filling in which a reserve supply of nails pointing downward may be removably embedded, by the sides of said partition and the said sidewalls providing runways for the reaches of said belt and by the said sidewalls and a curved plate adjustably mounted in proximity to the said rear spool providing means for preventing nails falling sidewise from their respective slots during movement of the belt.

References Cited by the Examiner UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,407,746 2/22 Hagarty 221-84X 2,525,637 10/50 Bell 1-46 2,938,213 5/60 Gorn 1-46 LOUIS I. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

HADD S. LANE, Examiner. 

1. IN A NAIL DISPENSER, THE COMBINATION WITH A HOUSING COMPRISING SIDEWALLS ONE OF WHICH HAS A FORWARD EXTENSION, END WALLS, A BOTTOM AND A COVER, THE SAID COVER INCLUDING A SHORT FIXED PORTION AND A RELATIVELY LONG REMOVABLE PORTION AND THE FORWARD ONE OF SAID END WALLS ENDING IN SPACED RELATION TO THE SIDEWALL, OF WHICH SAID EXTENSION IS A PART, TO PROVIDE A SLOT OPENING FOR INDIVIDUAL EDGEWISE PASSAGE OF NAILS THERETHROUGH; OF AN ENDLESS BELT, SPOOLS ENGAGED BY SAID BELT AND ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING ADJACENT SAID END WALLS, NAILS TO BE DISPENSED BEING CARRIED BY AND TRANSVERSLY OF SAID BELT IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION, MANUALLY OPERABLE FOR ROTATING ONE OF SAID SPOOLS TO INTERMITTENTLY FEED THE BELT MOUNTED NAILS SUCCESSIVELY TO SAID DISCHARGE OPENING, STRIPPING MEANS FOR DISENGAGING THE NAILS FROM SAID BELT AS THEY REACH SAID OPENING AND A STOP BLOCK REMOVABLY ATTACHED TO THE INNER FACE OF SAID WALL EXTENSION IN ADVANCE OF SIAD OPENING, SAID BLOCK COMPRISING A PERMANENT MAGNET FUNCTIONING TO SUCCESSIVELY DRAW NAILS AS THEY ARE RELEASED FROM SAID BELT THROUGH THE DISCHARGE OPENING, ACROSS THE FACE OF SAID WALL EXTENSION TO AND SUPPORT THEM AGAINST THE STOP BLOCK IN POSITION FOR NAILING. 